The Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption (FeSMC) of UGT in Castilla-La Mancha has accused employers of erecting a "wall" in the negotiation of the collective agreement for Logistics in the province of Guadalajara, which affects around 45,000 workers.
The negotiation of the collective agreement for Logistics in the province of Guadalajara is entering its final stretch amid a climate of maximum tension. The Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumption (FeSMC) of UGT in Castilla-La Mancha denounced on Wednesday that employers maintain a position of "absolute blockade" after eight meetings without significant progress.
The general secretary of the federation in the region, Ana González, described the employers' attitude as "outrageous", especially because the logistics sector represents 25% of the province's GDP and "keeps breaking records for net profits."
Salaries and working hours, the main obstacles
UGT demands that the salary review clause according to IPC be maintained, a mechanism that employers want to eliminate from the agreement. The union is calling for salary increases of 6% and the implementation of a fourth extra payment to guarantee the purchasing power of workers.
Regarding working hours, the union proposes reducing the current 1,800 annual hours, which it considers "an absolute outrage." Ana González warned that this workload harms work-life balance and physical health, and that in five years, workers under 50 will suffer musculoskeletal problems due to overexertion.
"Occupational risk prevention cannot be limited to safety boots and cutters. Truly preventing means organising work with common sense and humanity," stated the union leader.
Strong rejection of part-time permanent contracts
Another point of friction is the figure of the part-time permanent contract, which employers want to implement. UGT flatly rejects it: "It is the legal way to have semi-slaves in the workforce, a savage way to precarise the sector," González denounced.
The union also demands improvements in bonuses for working on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, so that attending work on those days ceases to be the norm and becomes an exception. Additionally, it calls for more contractual stability and that hiring not be done through temporary employment agencies, as well as respect for paid leave for caregiving and the negotiation of equality plans.
Next key meeting on September 1
The next meeting of the negotiation table is set for September 1. UGT assures that it will continue negotiating responsibly but warns: "Responsibility does not imply weakness. We do not rule out other types of measures if there is no progress."
"We are not going to sign an agreement that represents a step back. Every right we have achieved has been through struggle and determination," concluded Ana González, who sent a message to workers: "UGT will be where it has always been, on the side of workers because their work is valuable and very valuable."
For the nearly 45,000 direct and indirect workers in the logistics sector in Guadalajara, the outcome of this negotiation will determine their working conditions for the coming years. The current agreement has been extended, but the differences between the parties are deep and time is running out.
Employers, for their part, have not made public statements following UGT's accusations. The logistics sector in Guadalajara is experiencing a boom, with distribution centres of large companies, and the labour conflict threatens to escalate if an agreement is not reached in September.
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